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The National Limited was originally intended to run through to Denver on UP’s Kansas Pacific line. That would have provided excellent service to Manhattan and Topeka, KS. But this concept is pretty easily replicated today. The Cardinal has frequently been considered for a St Louis terminus. But...

I'm not convinced of that. That assumes that you need a dedicated dishwasher and that the existing crew can't handle the work of washing dishes which is highly automated. You put the plates and silver wear in the dishwasher, and it comes out. The Superliners always had dishwashers. In addition...

Very well said. I think most of these schemes like precision scheduled railroading just don’t hold up. It’s too bad that our railroad network is being hacked apart because of a hair brain schemes.

Your points are very well taken. Many travelers are not super time sensitive, and may be less so in the future. First, the boomers are retiring, and a large demographic will be retired. Second, many jobs are eligible for remote or telework. Driving is lost time as far as productivity goes with...

It’s ridiculous on its face. Nothing works like that. If I have a paella pan, rice and spices, and make paella once a week, or I make it three times a week, there’s a small incremental cost for the second two meals, but it’s not three times. You have mechanics, diesel houses, locomotives, etc...

I was referring to the operating crews who apparently come in on the Crescent the night before and take the next morning’s Crescent north again. This is what I’ve been told, and don’t know this is the case. However, an earlier departure from New Orleans and a decent departure time from Atlanta...

I’ve thought the same for years! It’s a missed opportunity. Amtrak could be the ethical choice and could market itself that way. Not to mention that fresh and tasty food with less packaging would be more enticing. I’m not sure when Americans lost the art of simple, fresh cooking. I’m not hung up...

Did first class on VIA from Montreal to Windsor in 2019. The food and service was fabulous.

That's not Amtrak or 30th Street Station; that's typical East Coast. I am always amazed when I travel back east. My experience though is that Philadelphia and BWI are the worst. I just flew through Philly on my way back from Europe. The yelling and rudeness was just incredible. It wasn't...

I understand that the reason for the later departure from NOL is due to mandatory crew rest after arrival the night before. That makes sense, but it’s not viable because the 11:30 departure from Atlanta northbound is already unreasonable. When it’s usually 1:30/2:00 am, the service is virtually...

Europe is moving to drastically shift national flights and shorter routes to rail for environmental reasons. Having state owned railroads allows them to be instruments for social progress. Membership in alliances makes sense. The problem for Amtrak would be choosing the best one. It would...

Of course that “sanctity of private property” interestingly doesn’t extend to highways or airports. Seems more selective than some kind of libertarian purity.

Moorman also brought us Richard Anderson and was an implacable foe of the long distance trains.

A friend of mine's son was mugged out in front. I have taken the train from that station many times. It is terrible. Probably the worst in the Amtrak system.

It’s an intriguing idea. I’ve always had an interest in airships. I see lots of practical problems including increasingly severe weather. I don’t see them as competition for rail. They’ll be a nice transportation option and may have a place in unique applications. An interesting aside is that we...

It shouldn’t. It means getting rid of the baggage/mail platforms that are between each track.

No we haven’t. By and large we haven’t created usable, high performance rail except in a few places like Milwaukee to Chicago. Of course, Milwaukee to Chicago is one of Amtrak’s most successful routes. Another example is the Surfliner and California’s Capital Corridor. High performance rail that...

Boston is a huge problem, and multiple stations aren’t an answer. We’re talking about building a bridge. I think we can do that. This isn’t hard.

Right before the end of traditional dining, I noticed Amtrak began pulling the salads. They came back, and now they’re gone again. I’m going to see if RPA can nudge them back. The lack of vegan entrees really highlights the need for a salad. I’m not a big appetizer guy. I think a salad before...

But that’s you’re opinion. A salad is a normal part of a meal most places. To me, it’s a big deal.